Field Unit Local Hiring Authority (FUL) - Park Ranger (Interpretation)
What you'd do
This position is located within the Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Fort Davis National Historic Site, Interpretation, Education and Visitor Services, Fort Davis, TX.
Major duties
This position is a Career-Seasonal appointment. These permanent positions include the same benefits as permanent appointments, but do not provide work on a year-round basis. You will work for approximately 11 months and 2 weeks, and you will be in a non-pay status for the remainder of the year. Some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following: Researches, develops, and presents formal and informal interpretive programs and services that connect park natural, cultural, and historical resource meanings to visitor interests. Staffs visitor centers, contact stations, and roving locations to orient visitors and provide accurate resource, safety, and facility information. Develops and presents curriculum-based education programs and interpretive media for school groups and the visiting public. Promotes resource stewardship and Leave No Trace principles to foster appropriate visitor behavior and protect park resources. Evaluates interpretive program effectiveness, plans new offerings, and (at the full performance level) leads interpretive themes and provides work direction to seasonal staff and volunteers. Physical Demands: The work requires some physical exertion and can involve extensive periods of standing and walking, in some cases over rough surfaces or inclines outdoors or in caves, and carrying backpacks, tools, rescue equipment, or other loads. Some employees may engage in firefighting, search and rescue, and other strenuous activities; these employees may be required to lift or carry equipment weighing more than 50 pounds over long distances. Employees who participate in all-risk operations will be required to meet fitness requirements on a continuing basis Working Conditions: The work can include moderate risks or discomforts that require safety precautions (e.g., exposure to extreme temperatures, climates, rough terrain, wild animals, pests, and/or insects). The incumbent may be required to use protective clothing or gear, such as masks, boots, gloves, etc. Some employees may be engaged in all-risk operations and be exposed to high risk and potentially dangerous situations which require a range of safety and other precautions. Duties will be developmental in nature when filled below the full performance level.
What you need to qualify
All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-09/02/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement. All candidates must also meet Time-in-Grade requirements. To receive credit for experience, your resume MUST state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience. Failure to adequately provide information needed to determine number of hours worked in each position may result in that time not being credited when evaluating qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the full and/or part-time hours requirement as the service dates will be reflected. Minimum Qualification Requirements: To qualify for this position, you must meet the following minimum qualifications: To qualify for this position at the GS-05 grade level, you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement: Specialized Experience Requirement: you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-04 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience: Experience that demonstrated the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform successfully the duties of the position to be filled. Experience may have been in technical, administrative, or scientific work, fish and wildlife management, recreation management, law enforcement, or other park-related work. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include, but are not limited to, the following: - Park guide or tour leader. - Law enforcement or investigative work. - Archeological or historical preservation research work. - Forestry and/or fire management work in a park, recreation, or conservation area. - Management, assistant, or program specialist work involving the development and implementation of policy related to protection, conservation, or management of park areas or similar operations. In addition, presenting informal interpretive talks or programs to the visiting public; staffing a visitor center or contact station providing resource and orientation information; or similar work that demonstrated the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform interpretive duties. You must include hours per week worked. -OR- Education: Successful completion of at least 4-year course of study above high school leading to a bachelor's degree with 24 semester hours of related course work You must include transcripts. -OR- Combination of education and experience. Successful completion of a combination of education and experience as described above. To combine education and experience, first take the number of months of full-time experience and divide by 12 months. Then take the number of credit hours in excess of 60 and divide by 60. Multiply the resulting decimal by 100. Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You must include transcripts. To qualify for this position at the GS-07 grade level, you must possess at least one of the following minimum qualifications by close of the announcement: Specialized Experience Requirement: you must possess at least one full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-05 level in the Federal service (obtained in either the public or private sectors). Specialized experience is defined as demonstrated experience: Experience that demonstrated the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform successfully the duties of the position to be filled. Experience may have been in technical, administrative, or scientific work, fish and wildlife management, recreation management, law enforcement, or other park-related work. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include, but are not limited to, the following: - Park guide or tour leader. - Law enforcement or investigative work. - Archeological or historical preservation research work. - Forestry and/or fire management work in a park, recreation, or conservation area. - Management, assistant, or program specialist work involving the development and implementation of policy related to protection, conservation, or management of park areas or similar operations. In addition, independently researching, developing, and presenting formal interpretive programs (guided walks, talks, evening programs) that connect park resource meanings to visitor interests; providing interpretive and informational services to a broad range of audiences; and preparing interpretive media or materials. You must include hours per week worked. -OR- Education: Successful completion of at least 1 full academic year of graduate education related to the occupation. You must include transcripts. -OR- Superior Academic Achievement (SAA): Successfully completed a bachelor's degree in a directly related field AND meet one of the following: (1) Class Standing: rank in the upper 3rd of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, based on the completed courses; OR (2) Grade-Point Average (GPA): earn a GPA of (a) 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) based on 4 years of education, or based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum -or- (b) 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field, or the required courses completed during the final two years. Note: GPA will be rounded to one decimal place, for example, 2.95 = 3.0, 2.94 = 2.9; OR (3) Membership in a National Scholastic Honor Society. Combination of education and experience. To combine education and experience, first take the number of months of qualifying, full-time work experience and divide by 12. Multiply the resulting decimal by 100. Then take the number of graduate credits completed and divide by 18. Multiply the resulting decimal by 100. Add the percentages together. The total must equal at least 100 percent to qualify. You must include transcripts. ***Additional qualifications can be found in the "Education" section below***
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